Swimming pedal



Feb. 7, 1933- E. J. ROBERTS SWIMMING PEDAL Filed Sept. 23, 1931 IN VENT0R Evi/2 J wig A TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED VSTATES PATENTori-*ica J'. ROBERTS, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY SWIMMING- PEDAL Applicationled September $3. 1931. Serial No. 564,585.

constructed have never become very popular because of t eir excessiveweight and cumbersome construction, rendering it exceedingly diiiicultto use the same for any length of time without the user becoming undulytired.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novelswimming pedal which is easily manipulated by the swimmer in use, andwhich enables the swimmer to exert a relatively great propelling effectwith minimum cL eiert.

Another object of the present invention lies in the provision of a novelswimming pedal which is of light, strong construction and is easilattached to the feet of the swimmer.

Still another object of the present invention lies in the provision of anovel swimming pedal having hinged Wing members which automaticallcollapse or move into relative folded sit-mns when the swimmers foot isdrawn orwardly, so that the pedal offers a minimum of resistance toforward movement of the foot, but which wing members immediately expandor open into their extended operative positions upon the initiationofthe backward movement of the foot, to thereby exert a thrust against thewater and effect the forward propulsion of the swimmer.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated,will be clearly understood. from the following detaileddescription of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a lan view of the novel swimming pedal o the present inventionwith the swimming shoe detached therefrom, and with a modified :form ofwing elements being shown in dot and dash lines.

Fig. 2`is a sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1and showing the manner of attaching the shoe to the pedal'.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially. along line 3 3 of Fig.2; and F igs. 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating the operationof the swimming pedal.

Similar characters of reference are emp/loyed 1n all of the abovedescribed views, to indlcate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates thenovel swimming pedal of the present invention as a whole. The swimmingpedal 1 comprises a central, longitu'dfnall extending, rigid body memberconsisting o a narrow main plate 2 having a plurality of spaced hingedknuckles 3 formed along its side edges. They main plate 2 is illustratedas stiffened by an under-plate ft which lies adjacent the undersurface oplate 2 and is held rigidly to plate 2 as by rivets 5. The rivets 5extend upwardly through under-plate 4, main plate 2 and throughtransversely extendin reenforcing members or bars 6 and 7 he reenforcingbar 6 is positioned near the forward end of the body member, whereas thereenforcing bar 7 is positioned near the rear end of the body member.The reenforcing bar 6 is preferably of greater length than thereenforcing bar 7 as illustrated in the drawing, and these reenforcingbars are secured iixedly to the body member consisting of plates 2 and 4by means of the rivets. Reenforcing bars 6 and 7 serve to strengthen andreenforce a pai:` of similar wing members 8 when these wing members arein their 85 extended, working positions.

' Wing members 8 are provided with hinge knuckles 3 for cooperating withthe hinge knuckles 3 of main plate 2.- Hinge pins 9 extend through thealigned openings of hinge knuckles 3 and 3 for hingedly connectin t wingmembers 8 with'the main plate 2 o the body member. Coil springs 11surround an intermediate portion of the hinge pins 9 and are situatedbetween consecutive spaced hinge knuckles 3 provided on main plate 2. 95

One end portion of each of the springs 11 engages the body member andthe other end portion of the spring engages a wing member 8. Springs 1lare of sufficient strength to normally maintain the wing members 8 n smembers s but win yield to 25 use.

their horizontal, mutually aligned ositions sli'ovm in Fig. 3. In otherwor these spring members have suilicient tension to nornially supportlthe weight of the wing ermit downward., swinging movement of t e wingmembers toward eachother when the pedal is pulled forwardly or upwardlythrough the water,.as.i1lustrated 1n Fig. 5, the water l pressureserving to collapse or turn the wing members into yfolded relation.

The hinge pins 9 are preferably rovided with heads 10 which are locatedat t eir rear ends only so that. these hinge pins may be removed, forexample, to enable replacement of the springs 11 should these springsbreak in use. Wing members 8 are illustrated as m'ade of sheet metal andare provided with a turned-over bead or flange 12 extending along theirmarginal edges to stien these wing' members while providing a roundededge portion to prevent the same from in'u'ring the swimmer should thesewing mem rs accidentally strike the legs of the swimmer in In order toattach the pedal to the swimming shoe, such as the shoe 13, shown in thedrawing, bolts 14 are rovided which'bolts have large, substanti y flatheads 15 for engaging the inner sole of the shoe 13. Bolts 14 extendthrough al' ed apertures provided in the body mem' r an reenforcin bars6 and 7 and through apertures provide in the sole of the shoe v13, asespecially illusas man in Figs. 2 and a.

In use, the swimmer in attaching the shoes 13to his feet also securesthe edals 1in proper relative position and centra y u on his feet. Sincethe springs 11 act to norma y maintain 40 the win members 8 horizontal,the swimmer may w around on the beach with the dal win members in thepositions shown in igs. 2 3. On entering the water, the swimmer, nmaking a forward or non-power stroke ixliis feet causes the waterpressure upon wing inem rs 8 to collapse or fold these wi membersinwardly into their folded out of t e WzL positions shown in Fig. 5, sothat y the ped move through the water with l0 negligible resistance. Atthe end of the forward stroke of the feet the wing members will'automatically un old into operative al' ed positions owing to the actionof 11, so'that when the swimmer makes l gn `515 :pbacE-stroke,as'illustrated in Fig. 4, these in are distended and enables the swimmerto o tain a powerful forward thrust, forcing him at a ra id pace throughthe water.

p Preferably the novel swimming pedals of 00 the present invention arelargely made -of aluminum or some other light metal or alloy so as tohave a minimum weight, though having considerable stiiness owing totheresence of the rigid body member, the bea s 12 68 and the reenforcingmembers or bars 6 and 7.

' bers and said body member for ur `ng said It will be apparent that thewing menibers 8 may have various shapes other than that shown in thedrawing. For example,

. these members may be attenuated as shown in thedot and dash lines inFig. 1 to-thereby 7 provide a speed swimming pedal for use especially byspeed swimmers. It will be obvious that the novelswimming pedals may bemade in various sizes to suit various sizes of shoes. I

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many aparently widely different embodiments of t is invention could be madewithout departin from the scope thereof, it is intended that a mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Vlitis'claimediszd d swimming pe al com risin a i flat longitudinallyextcndin pbodygmehiger having spaced hinge knuc es formed all along thesides thereof, win members positioned at the sides of said bo y member,saidl wing members having hinge knuckles inter'litting with the hingeknuckles of said body I member, hinge pins interconnecting thecooperating hine knuckles of said vwing members and sai body member,coil torsion springs surrounding said hinge pins, each of said torsionsprings having one of its-ends engaging said body member and its otherend engaging a respective one of said wing members, for urgin said' winmembers into oppositel exten ed, aligne positions, and a pair o spacedtransverse reenforcing bars secured to said bod member and overlyingsaid wing members or reenforcin the latter when in their oppositelyextende positions. '2. A swimmin pedal comprising, a recloo .tangularlongitu inally extending, substantially flat, sheet metal, body member,substantially dat, sheet metal, wing members hingedl connected to the oposite side e of said" body member, the liingedV connqegtisons betweensaid body member and said wing members consisting `of interitting hingeknuckles extending all along the length of said body member, and a pairof hinge pins extending along the length of said body member forinterconnecting said hinge knuckles resilient torsion spring meanscarried by sai hinge pins and acting upon said wing memwing membersupwardly about their hinged connections with said body member, a

air of spaced-reenforcing cross bars secured to said body member' andextending transversely thereof into overlyin relation with respect tosaid Wing members or limiting the upward turning movement of the latter,said resilient torsion spring means being of just sufficient stren h tosupport the weight of said wing mem ers and serving to normally 130 holdsaid wing members in abutting relation to said cross bars, and fasteninmeans secured to said body member an extending upwardly therefrom forsecuring a swimming shoe to said body member. In testimony, that I claimtheinvention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this l 3rd dayof September, 1931.

lo ERWIN J. ROBERTS.

